The International Olympic Committee, while embracing the arrival of betting as another source of income, is trying to strengthen monitoring systems that can detect possible fraud in the sports results of the Olympics.
“During the Paris Olympics, we will work together with a number of betting operators, associations and major betting regulatory authorities to exchange relevant information on irregular betting patterns or suspicious betting activity detected that could imply manipulation,” explains Friedrich Martens, Head of the OM PMC Unit.
The IOC has also had the Betting Integrity Intelligence System (IBIS) since 2014, which gathers and distributes information and intelligence related to sports betting for use by all stakeholders in the Olympic Movement, as well as enabling communication between all partners.
Any reported irregular betting patterns are analysed, with the support of a wide range of sports betting stakeholders within the IBIS network and national and international police forces, including Interpol.
If an irregular pattern is detected or serious suspicions are raised, a disciplinary commission may be set up by the IOC.
All this to ensure that no medals are tarnished at the tournament that already drives online bookmakers.
For example, in the 400-meter hurdles event, Brazilian Alison dos Santos appears in second place on the list of favorites on some websites, which indicates that he has a good chance of winning and, therefore, the prize for those who bet on him will not be as high as on an underdog. In women's soccer, the United States team has the lowest odds (2.75), followed by France (6.00). Brazil appears in third, with 15.00.
Paris 2024, among other firsts, will also serve as a great barometer to see whether the real entry of sports betting will be an increase for the sports business. Or whether it could provide an opening for a new type of doping: financial doping.
Source: GMB
